


Fantasy Café

by rinthegreat



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, M/M, magical cafe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 15:19:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16875264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinthegreat/pseuds/rinthegreat
Summary: A short series set in a modern-magical AU which was originally on Tumblr but needed to be preserved during the Great Tumblr Exodus of 2018. MakoRin





	Fantasy Café

“What the fuck.”  Rin had waited, albeit a little impatiently, until it was exactly 3:04 pm - the time he’d walked into the coffee shop yesterday - before returning to the cleverly named  _Iwatobi Cafe_.  He’d expected to see the little fairy, maybe a few of the same customers, and - not to get his hopes up - the warlock from yesterday.

Instead of forest green, his eyes had met a deep blue set that unmistakably belonged to a siren.  Glammer or no glammer, Rin could recognize a siren anywhere.  Even if nobody else could.

“We don’t serve that here,” the siren responded, voice both cold as ice and smooth as silk.  Rin shivered.  “Care to look at our menu?”

“I’ll just take an Americana, large,” Rin decided.  He was too busy trying to determine if the siren taking his order was the same one from the posters inside the station to hear the swish of the back curtain opening.  Though even if he was, Rin didn’t have enough evidence to book him.  Yet.

A ray of sunshine burst through the window, illuminating the barista making his drink, and Rin was forced to forget everything about sirens, posters, and disguises.  “Your Americana.”  The warlock turned to Rin, gracing him with a wide smile.

There was a movement out of the corner of his eye, and Rin caught sight of the ‘happiness’ bottle flying over before it poured a shot into his drink.  He flushed at his obviousness.  “You don’t have to.”

The warlock winked.  “Everyone needs a boost sometime.”  The drink floated over to him, lid securing itself in place.  “See you tomorrow, Rin.”

 

* * *

 

 

Rin grumbled as he pushed open the door.  First day on the Iwatobi force and he had to deal with a rampaging troll, a necromancer’s experiment gone awry, and a hoarding situation where a witch had  _too many cats_ shovedin a wardrobe.  He needed coffee, and he needed it now.

The bell jingled as the door shut, and he only got a clipped warning of “coming through” before a fairy zipped past his face with a steaming cup.  Rin stopped short, glaring at the fairy as he grew to human size, handing the cup to a…Rin didn’t even want to know.  He missed Sano already.

He ignored it and stepped up to the counter.  “One Americana.”  Simple.  Easy.  Gets the job done.

“Anything else you want with that?”

Rin looked up, eyes meeting the gaze of the most beautiful man he’d ever seen.  Including the incubus he’d narrowly avoided getting his soul sucked out by hardly a month earlier.  He swallowed, throat clicking.  “Uh…no that’ll do it.”

The man smiled, ringing him up before turning to make the cup himself.  Rin slid over to wait, eyes not leaving the man’s back as he - a warlock, apparently - whipped up the drink without touching anything.  He turned to Rin with a wink and the bottle labeled ‘luck’ tilted, adding a shot to the drink.

Rin flushed, fumbling with his wallet.  “I can -”

“It’s on the house,” the barista assured him, stepping forward to where Rin could get a view of his ID.  _Makoto_.  “Welcome to Iwatobi.”

 

* * *

 

“I don’t need a lucky charm,” Rin huffed as he watched no fewer than four fairies clamber over each other to see which could braid more flowers into his sister’s hair.  For her part, Gou seemed completely at ease having her locks pulled this way and that.

Gou laughed, accompanied by the jingling of the lilies-of-the-valley around her.  “It’s not a ‘lucky’ charm; it’s a ‘love’ charm, Rin.”

“I know that.”

She waved her hand and the fairies disappeared, flying off into the bushes.  When she looked at him again, the mirth was gone from her face, seriousness etched in her features instead.  “Are you sure this one is good?”

A rose reached out an poked his leg, distracting Rin enough to pick it up.  He focused on pulling out the thorns, turning the flower into a beauty with no bite.  “This is different.”

“Then take the charm.”  She pulled the rose from his hand gesturing for him to leave, same as the fairies had.  A couple was standing, impatient, in the entryway.

“I don’t need a lucky charm,” he repeated as she ushered him out.  Regardless, it was in his pocket by the time he got home.

 

* * *

 

 

Rin stuck his hand in his pocket, clutching the charm in his fist.  Deep breath: in and out.  And one more.

He pushed open the door on his exhale, stepping into the chaos that was Iwatobi Cafe.  He didn’t need to look around this time; Makoto was behind the counter smiling at him.  As if he’d been waiting.

He gave the charm in his pocket one last squeeze before releasing it.  Damn Gou and her perfect foresight.

“Rin,” Makoto smiled at him when he finally reached the counter.  “What can I get you today?”  His hand was hovering over the extra shots, the ones Rin had managed to get for free.

But that’s not why he was here today.  A third deep breath and then:

“A date.  If you’re interested.”

Makoto’s grin was blinding.

 

* * *

 

 

Rin shifted his weight nervously back and forth, resisting checking the time yet again; it didn’t work, though, and he ended up looking at his watch, discovering that not even a minute had passed since he’d last glanced down.

He was still five minutes early.

The nerves set in harder than before, and Rin’s fingers rubbed the charm in his pocket incessently until a tingling of a bell sounded almost above his head, and a merry voice greeted him with a: “Sorry to keep you waiting, Rin.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can now find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rinthegreat_ao3) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rinthegreat/) instead.


End file.
